Mobile device management (MDM) provides quick and easy control and security for iPhones, iPads and even Macs, wirelessly through the Internet. This allows locking a lost iPad or iPhone, easy reference of inventory and device specifications and deployment of new configurations instantly. Furthermore, it’s possible to distribute software and have new iPhones shipped to your company pre-configured.

A common scenario is the need for security and a quick email, contacts and calendar install on iPhones. Once we establish an account on our end, you just visit a url, enter your name and password, then the iPhone is secured and configured. Your time invested: 5 minutes.

Apple just upgraded the MacBook Pro line. The previously released “Touch Bar” laptops had almost no change in computing power from the generation before, leaving few motives to purchase. This latest upgrade using the “Kaby Lake” chip boasts a twenty percent increase in performance. MacLab can now whole heartedly recommend these MacBook Pros. Break out the adapters and get ready for USB-C, the single connector of choice on these laptops because it’s here to stay.

The iMac still has plenty of ports for your cabling pleasure, thank goodness. This new iMac family even upgrades the Thunderbolt 2 port to Thunderbolt 3. Processing power has increased across the board and so has graphics performance. It’s a great time to buy an iMac.

By now you’ve probably heard of the world-wide ransomware attack, “WannaCry.” It has brought down over 200,000 systems in 150 countries including major medical organizations by encrypting data and holding it for ransom. Lucky for Mac users this is a Windows-only attack. However, ransomware for the Mac is alive and well. Make sure your network and devices are protected and you have a recovery plan.

Implement a firewall with quality network protection, turn on Mac OS Firewall in the Security section of the System Preferences, use Malware/Antivirus protection (we recommend Bitdefender + MacLab’s Malware detection) and check that your backup allows you to revert all data to a time before an attack.

Apple has shifted the Mac Pro line to give more power for the dollar. The previous $3999 Mac Pro is now $2999 and is the new base model. It has a 6 core processor, 16GB RAM and a more powerful graphics card. The hardware on the Mac Pro line hasn’t been changed and there is no new design.

Apple Marketing Chief, Phil Shiller says “We are in the process of what we call ‘completely rethinking the Mac Pro.’ As part of doing a new Mac Pro—it is, by definition, a modular system—we will be doing a pro display as well. Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that. We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do.”

In the meantime, a thousand dollar price break for the existing Mac Pros is nothing to complain about and good news that Apple is committing to the future of the creative professional. Let MacLab spec a few out for your team.

The “Turkish Crime Family” says they will remotely wipe a large number of iPhones via compromised iCloud accounts on April 7th unless Apple turns over $100,000. Apple says they have not been breached. It is thought that the hackers may have leaked passwords from other sources and will use it to attempt a match to iCloud logins in hope that people have used the same passwords (common practice). In some cases this results in a successful compromise. Remember to use unique passwords just for this reason. If you have an iCloud account, it would be a good idea to change the password before April 7, regardless. You can also set up two factor authentication if you’d like to be extra cautious.

MacLab is happy to announce we are now a Preferred Partner for Kerio products. In short, this means Kerio gives us the highest recommendation as an expert with their products. Kerio is the developer of Kerio Connect and Kerio Cloud email solutions and Kerio Control, our first recommendation for network protection. Whether you need to purchase a new Kerio product, upgrade, discuss email hosting or network protection, we’ve got you covered.